Intimate Stranger
by Handsome Puppy
Summary: [AU] Filia Inverse and Xelloss Metallium are engaged, but neither want to get married. They will be free if they pass the trial period, but Zellas wouldn't let it happen so easily. The biggest problem, unbeknownst to most, is the secret that Filia holds..
1. Prologue

**Intimate Stranger**

by Handsome Puppy

Author's Note:  
This story was written back in '93 and submitted to Blossoming Affection. For some reason, I thought I had it on as well. Since I don't know when I'll have time for Slayers: SEED, I've decided to post this one first. The whole thing is basically left untouched from its submitted form after Xellia Metallium beta-ed it, except for a few sentence re-arrangements. I haven't the time to read through all the chapters, so I'll post them one at a time. This story is AU. Enjoy. :)

PS. Beware of fluff and OOCness.  
PS2. I tend to re-use my original characters, at least their names. Please forget about the Meiron from Slayers: SEED.

Disclaimer:  
Slayers belongs to Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa Shoten/TV TOKYO/SOFTX/Marubeni. The title "Intimate Stranger" is taken from the song of the same name in the delirious? album "Glo". This story and all the original characters are mine.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Filia?" 

"Yes, Lina. It would be wrong for you to go through this."

Lina Inverse looked at the calm reflection in the mirror from her vintage point by the wall, a worried frown on her usually cheerful face. The blond sitting in front of the dressing table stared back at the mirror with a serious expression, though it was not hard to see her uneasiness.

"But your clan was destroyed by the Mazoku! If you go in my place and they find out about your identity-"

"Say no more, Lina. You are in love with Gourry and there is simply no way you're going to marry another man." Filia shook her head firmly. The white decorative flowers in her hair swayed slightly with the movement. "Yes, father lost a bet to Zellas Metallium and must provide a wife for his son, but it doesn't have to be you. I may be adopted, but I'm still an Inverse. I'll go in your place."

"You might be in danger if you go, Filia! I can't allow that!" Lina stomped her feet.

"Don't worry about me. As long as I don't use my power, no one will know. Please, Lina. It's the least I can do." Filia looked straight at her human sister, her blue eyes pleading yet determined.

Lina frowned at her adopted little sister. "Filia, we never wanted you to pay back or anything like that. Luna took your egg in because it was the right thing to do. You don't owe us anything!"

"And I'm doing this because it is the right thing to do as well." Filia Inverse concluded, standing up and making some final adjustment to her long white gown.

+ - + - + - + - + - +

"You didn't!"

"Yes, I did."

"It can't be true!" Xelloss Metallium stared at his mother with wide eyes.

"It's true, and I sent Xenid to pick her up this morning. She'll arrive any minutes now." The head of the Metallium family lounged on the fur-draped couch and inspected her nails, fully ignoring her son's glare.

"What did you do that for? Why wasn't I informed of this at all?"

"Because you are already 700 years old and still single. I can't just have you around the island being unproductive, can I?" Zellas replied casually.

While the Mazoku race had slowly adopted the human way of reproduction over the centuries of co-existing with the humans, the leaders of the five major Mazoku families could only produce their heir once. The others created two offspring, while she chose to have just one. Over the long years, she had heard news of some of them getting a mate and reproducing. Xelloss wasn't any younger than the rest of them, and she hated losing to the other families. The constant taunting about her unmarried son whenever she visited the others wasn't helping, either. Well, she would prove to them all right. Her son was handsome, attractive, clever, and powerful. Of course a fine young man such as he should be taken. The faster the better.

"Unproductive?" Xelloss twitched. "This doesn't have anything to do with Grau getting married last month and Sherra expecting a baby in two months, does it?" He really shouldn't had let his mother visit his uncle Dynast so much.

"Think whatever you like." Zellas grinned and stood up from her comfortable couch. "Xenid is back."

Xelloss was alarmed. He looked as if he was ready to run, but Zellas waved a finger at her son.

"Oh no, you don't!" She looked him over. "If you're so against this idea, I can give you a break and just let the girl stay on the island as your fiancee. If you still don't want to marry her six months later, I'll call this whole arrangement off. You can have more 'free' time until I find another girl for you."

"What's the catch?" Xelloss eyed his mother suspiciously.

"Ah yes, the catch." Zellas smiled happily. "I'll call Phibrizo, and I'll invite his son to stay with us during the six-month trial."

Xelloss growled inwardly. Meiron was about his age, and he was constantly being compared to him. Even though he was more powerful, Meiron had always been more popular with those of the opposite gender. He might not have wanted to get married now, but he just wouldn't have someone invading his territory, namely his fiancee, as much as he didn't want one. However, to turn down the deal would mean marriage now. He sighed and gave in to the inevitable, knowing when he was defeated.

"Very well, let him come."

"I see that I'll be entertained for the next six months." Zellas smiled and walked toward the door of her spacious master room. "I'll go tell the girl about the six months acquaintance period."

Xelloss sighed again after his mother left. He hoped the girl was ugly. That way, Meiron wouldn't be interested in her enough and would leave her alone, and he could just wait for the trial period to end.

_to be continued_


	2. Chapter 1

**Intimate Stranger**

by Handsome Puppy

Disclaimer:  
Slayers belongs to Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa Shoten/TV TOKYO/SOFTX/Marubeni. The title "Intimate Stranger" is taken from the song of the same name in the delirious? album "Glo". This story and all the original characters are mine.

* * *

So far so good. Xelloss thought as he sat on a tree branch and leaned against the main trunk. Five months had passed without any incidents. If everything went as planned, he and the girl would be free in another month.

He had sneaked into the girl's room the night she arrived and left a letter and a ring on the pillow beside her. From what Xenid told him, the girl, Filia Inverse, didn't want to get married either, so it wasn't difficult to get her to cooperate.

His plan was simple. She would stay on Wolf Pack Island as his fiancee for six months. She was free to do anything she wanted, as long as she didn't mind the wolves following her. They weren't there to restrict her, but only to protect her from his 'evil cousin' Meiron. The ring was actually a part of himself, allowing him to sense her whereabouts without even trying to.

The only drawback of the whole plan was that she wasn't as ugly as he would like her to be. In fact, she was downright beautiful and innocent. Just the type of prey Meiron liked. Xenid usually accompanied Filia when she was outside the safety boundary, namely the private quarters of the island reserved for members of the Metallium family only. If Meiron was sensed nearby or approaching, Xenid led the girl away before they could meet.

Truth be told, he didn't expect the girl to be so defenseless, having coming from the same family as Luna Inverse, the Knight of Cepheid. He couldn't help but suspect it was one of the reasons why his mother chose the Inverse family in the first place. She probably thought that Luna would at least teach her sister some magic or special attacks. But Filia was as ordinary as the next girl, though she seemed to handle weapons, especially the heavy ones, with some ease.

Sensing the subject of his musing, Xelloss sat up straight and frowned a little. What was she doing here, all alone? He looked down from his vintage point amidst the tree branches. Filia didn't notice him and walked past the tree he was on. She stopped a short distance from him and looked up at the starlit sky, a small smile upon her face.

Filia gazed into the brilliant night, mesmerized by the twinkling display. She loved the fresh scent of the evening air, and Wolf Pack Island, if one overlooked the fact that it was a Mazoku territory, was a very beautiful place indeed. Here, away from the grand palace, was peaceful and quiet. It was such a great place to think.

How was her dear adopted family doing? Did Lina get together with Gourry yet? When were they getting married? Would they also have a six-month engagement period- No, of course not. They didn't need some kind of trial period to confirm their love, and she bet the mistress of the Metallium family set up the six months to entertain herself. That letter she got when she woke up on the first morning told her that the young master of the house didn't want to get married as well. 

She had agreed to go with his plan so she could go home freely afterward. It had been five months now, and she had yet to see her fiance. She saw him a few times talking to Zellas from a distance, but that didn't really count. She didn't even know what he sounded like. All she could gather was that he was tall and medium built, with shoulder-length purple hair. Well, she supposed that she'd get to meet him on the day of her departure.

Filia was deep in thought and didn't notice another figure approaching, but Xelloss did. He growled silently as his cousin walked past the tree and made it toward the girl.

"Lovely evening, isn't it?" Meiron commented softly, startling Filia out of her reverie.

"Umm, yes." She answered nervously. The man was tall and medium built all right, but he had long silver hair that reached down to his waist. It must be the 'evil cousin' Xelloss and Xenid refered to.

"At last, I meet you in person, fair lady." Meiron gave her a charming smile. "I've heard so much about your stunning beauty and grace, but they don't do you justice. I am Meiron, Xelloss' cousin. May I have the honour of knowing your name, my lady?"

"Filia Inverse." Filia replied, keeping a safe distance from him.

"Inverse?" Meiron was surprised. "You wouldn't happen to know a Luna Inverse, would you?"

"She's my older sister."

"Ah." Meiron smiled at her disarmingly. "A story goes like this. Once an angel came down from Heaven and hid her wings so humans wouldn't know her true identity. When she was ready to go back home, she couldn't find her wings. Without her wings, the angel couldn't return."

"That's sad." Filia replied politely, not trusting his smile one bit.

"There's more to the story. A man took the angel into his home and cared for her. The angel eventually fell in love with him. When they got married, the man confessed that he was the one who took her wings. He was so attracted to her at first sight that he couldn't bear to let her leave. That was the reason why he stole her wings. Because of her love for him, the angel didn't want her wings back anymore and decided to stay with the man." Meiron recounted the story with a gentle tone, all the while looking at Filia with desire in his eyes. "You are like an angel, fair Filia. Pure, innocent, and beautiful. I wonder... if you don't have your wings, would you let me take care of you and stay with me?"

Filia panicked. This 'evil cousin' sure was making a fast move on his cousin's fiancee! Should she scream and run for it? Why didn't she just stay in the safety of her room? And where were those wolves when she needed them?

She backed up a few steps and held up her right hand, showing the engagement ring. "I am engaged to Xelloss. Don't you try anything funny!"

"Well said, Filia." Xelloss decided that it was time for him to make an entrance. He teleported behind her and gently held her right hand from behind with his own, which also sported the same engagement ring.

"Xelloss!" 

Meiron had an annoyed look on his face, while Filia was completely taken off guard by his first and sudden appearance.

"If we are not cousins, I'd say that you were trying to hit on my fiancee, Meiron." Xelloss smiled meaningfully. He released his hold of Filia's hand and placed it around her waist instead. Filia blushed furiously.

"Ah, I was just giving Filia some personal attention, seeing how you've neglected her for the past five months, Xelloss." Meiron smiled back, his sweet tone dripping with venom.

"Oh, am I neglecting you, my dear Filia?" Xelloss, as if surprised by the accusation, turned to look at her.

"Of course not, Xelloss." Filia replied sweetly with a small blush, fully aware of the arm around her waist and the closeness of their bodies.

"Well, in that case, I wouldn't want to intrude upon your time together. Just let me see you to your chamber. It's the least this cousin can do for you." Meiron said through gritted teeth. The girl had obviously only just met Xelloss for the first time, yet she was already trusting him and playing along with his act?

"Why, thank you, Meiron." Xelloss smiled and teleported away with Filia before the girl could react.

+ - + - + - + - + - +

"Urr.. my head hurts..." Filia held her head in attempt to stop it from spinning.

"You're just dizzy from the teleport. It should clear in a few seconds." Xelloss walked over to the mini-bar in the corner of his room. "Let me give you something to drink. You'll feel much better."

Filia shook her head a few times. "That's ok. I'm feeling fine now." She got up and started toward the door.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Meiron is probably outside, waiting for you to walk right into him." Xelloss warned casually, pouring wine into two crystal goblets.

Filia's hand froze on the doorknob. She considered for a second and stepped away from the door. "I'll take your words. I wouldn't want to risk that." She sighed and walked back to sit down on the couch.

"I usually have to deal with outsiders a lot, so my room is located outside the private quarters. He can't get in, though, because of the seal I have around the room." Xelloss walked over to sit near her and hand her the glass of wine. "We might as well get acquainted with each other. Here, it's Zephilian wine, from your home town!"

Filia hesitated a moment before accepting the glass. "Thank you." She tentatively sipped a little of the clear dark red liquid.

"Don't tell me you've never drank before." Xelloss observed.

"Actually, no. Luna never allowed me to drink." Filia smiled shyly.

"That's a shame. Zephilia produced the best wine around this part of the world." Xelloss said, noticing the slight flush on the girl's face. "Hey, you're not drunk from just that one little sip, are you?"

"No, I'm just a little nervous." Filia blushed and half-lied. She did feel a little lightheaded, but she dismissed it as being the side effect from the teleport earlier. The blush, however, crept up to her face when she had a good look at him. He was very attractive, and his every move spoke of grace and elegance. Even though he was a member of the Mazoku clan, she felt oddly safe around him.

"Nervous?" Xelloss chuckled softly. "Well then, to ease your anxiety, my lady, let me introduce myself so you are not in a room with a total stranger." He opened his eyes to grin at her, his amethyst eyes mysterious and deep. "I am Xelloss Metallium, your fiance and ally in this little game of my mother's. I'm the only son in the family, but I have quite a number of cousins, and few of them are nice. Meiron is the worse of the lot. I've just turned 700 this year."

"I guess it's my turn now. I am Filia Inverse, the youngest daughter in the family besides Luna and Lina. I'm 25 years old." Filia laughed. "You're old, Xelloss."

Xelloss closed his eyes and shrugged. "That's why I couldn't understand why mother got me a human girl. It'll never work out."

"Why are you still single after 700 years? You're not bad looking at all." Filia took another sip of her wine. The taste was sweet, and she actually found it pleasant. She wondered why Luna always forbade her to drink.

"Three reasons." Xelloss held up three fingers. "One, I have yet to meet any girl that interests me. Two, Meiron makes it his personal life goal to annoy me. He lures women away from me, which isn't very difficult since I don't really care for them." He paused. "Three, they're afraid of me and my power."

"Are you very strong?" Filia asked, though she knew the answer well. Being a Ryuuzoku, she had the natural ability to detect Mazoku power to a certain degree, yet she was unable to sense Xelloss' level, which meant that he was strong enough to hide his true strength.

"Enough to send fear through one's body when one hears my name." Xelloss smiled menacingly and looked at the girl intently for a reaction.

"I've heard of you when I was little." Filia said, not bothered by the Mazoku's disturbing smile. "Luna used to tell me and Lina bed time stories of you."

"Oh?" Xelloss raised an eyebrow. "What did the Knight of Cepheid say of me?"

He had met the woman a number of times during his seven hundreds years of existance. Being the Knight of Cepheid, Luna was granted eternal life. However, it was not a long and never ending life, but continuous and perpetual cycles of life. She would be born into a young woman of 28 with memories of all previous lives, and she would remain like that for fifty years before being reborn again.

"Cunning, clever, manipulative, and dangerous. One to be reckoned with, and never one to be ignored or underestimated. A Mazoku among Mazoku." Filia recited.

"Are you afraid?"

"I was a little scared when I first came here." Filia admitted. "But the letter and the ring gave me assurance that you won't harm me, at least for the duration of my stay here. That's all I need."

Xelloss stared at her before his expression relaxed. "I wouldn't recommend you do this often. You're far too trusting for your own good. I am a Mazoku, after all."

And I am a Ryuuzoku, Filia thought to herself as she nodded. "I know."

"What were you doing out there in the field by yourself? Why wasn't Xenid with you?"

"I go to the field every night to look at the stars and think." Filia finished her glass of wine. "Xenid usually go with me, but he was summoned by your mother this morning and never returned."

"He was?" Xelloss frowned. It wasn't like the lesser wolf to leave his assigned task without at least telling him, unless Zellas gave him a mission. Suspicious. Why wasn't he the one given the mission? His gaze trailed to the girl sitting not far from him. Of course. Xenid was sent away so HE had to stay with her instead.

"I was worried when Xenid didn't come back for me, but your mother said that it's all right for me to be by myself. I didn't know I was spotted and followed." Filia stifled a small yawn.

"What would you have done if I didn't happen to be there to help?" Xelloss asked.

"I don't know... I'd probably try to hit him and run for it and scream your name until you come..." Filia said with an embarrassed smile, her voice trailing off. She was feeling sleepy for some reason.

"Scream my name? Why?" Xelloss seemed curious by her answer. If that was the case, he would in fact hear her and get there because he was connected to her through the engagement ring he gave her. Not that she needed to know.

"You are my fiance, after all, even it's only a pretense." Filia closed her eyes slowly.

Xelloss blinked. The girl was definitely too trusting for her own good. He sighed and poured more wine into his empty glass. "Well, it's a good thing that you're not afraid of me. Since Meiron met you in person, it'll be easier for him to find you again. I'll have to stay with you until Xenid returns."

"That's fine." Came Filia's murmured reply.

"Filia?" Xelloss called softly when he noticed her silence. He took a closer look and found her peacefully asleep. "She's drunk... And here I thought the Gold Dragons had the worst tolerance for alcohol."

He considered letting her sleep in his room but decided not to. He wouldn't want the Beastmaster to get any wrong idea. Xelloss gently picked up the sleeping beauty and teleported to her room. He removed her boots and placed her on the bed. A sapphire pendant from inside her collar rolled out in the process. It emitted a mysterious radiance and when one inspected closer, the mark of Luna Inverse was on it.

"A gift from your sister? Isn't that nice." Xelloss tucked Filia in. "Sweet dream, my dear fiancee." He grinned and teleported out.

_to be continued_

* * *

Author's Note:  
I warned you of the fluff level of this story, and there're plenty more to come. XD  
Since the story is already complete and I just need to review it, I'll probably post a chapter every few days. Even though this story was written a long time ago, please let me know what you think of it:) 


	3. Chapter 2

**Intimate Stranger**

by Handsome Puppy

Disclaimer:  
Slayers belongs to Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa Shoten/TV TOKYO/SOFTX/Marubeni. The title "Intimate Stranger" is taken from the song of the same name in the delirious? album "Glo". This story and all the original characters are mine.

* * *

"Meiron told me that you've finally met our dear Filia last night." Zellas Metallium poured wine into a crystal goblet leisurely. 

"Yes, I did." Xelloss replied, sipping at his tea calmly. "What did you send Xenid to do?"

"Oh, just being my messenger. You know I want the other Mazoku lords to be present for my 2000th birthday celebration in two weeks. Since your fiancee is here, I can't possibly keep you away from the island." Zellas smiled slyly.

"Convenient." Xelloss nodded, following her train of thought. "It would take him at least a few days to return even if aunt Dolphin doesn't insist that he stay at the undersea palace for a couple more days."

"That's right. I suggest you do some catching up with Filia in the meantime. I am disappointed by your behaviour for the past five months, Xelloss. You gave her a ring without even letting her meet you once, and you didn't bother to see her at all. Well, guess what? I don't find it very amusing. Why did you think I let Meiron stay on the island for?" Zellas snorted a little while sipping her wine.

Was she admitting that she was treating the whole thing as an entertainment for her? Xelloss finished his tea and put the cup down. "I thought you wanted me to get married."

"Married, yes. To an ordinary human girl? No. I didn't expect her to be completely normal." Zellas shrugged. "You never intended to marry her in the first place anyway, so I might as well use the opportunity to amuse myself. It's been some time since Meiron last bothered you."

"And he won't get a chance to again because the girl won't be left alone." Xelloss stood up and bowed. "If there are no further orders, I shall return to tend to my fiancee."

Zellas waved a hand in dismissal and watched her son vanished from view.

+ - + - + - + - + - +

Filia sat on the top of the brick wall surrounding the balcony located on the highest ground of the Metallium palace, dangling her feet in the air. She looked down at the forest canopy two hundreds metres below, idly wondering whether the trees could break her fall if she jumped.

"Unless you can fly, I wouldn't recommend you do that, Filia." Xelloss' cheerful voice said from behind her.

Filia glanced back with a small smile. "Good morning, Xelloss."

"I thought I told you to wait in your room."

"You found me all right, didn't you?" Filia shrugged and looked back toward the horizon longingly.

"I'm surprised Luna didn't at least teach you levitation. You seem to want to fly pretty badly." Xelloss observed.

"I wouldn't be able even if I wanted to. I'm magically challenged." Filia made a face. That wasn't entirely untrue, since her power was sealed by Luna before she was hatched. Beside the Ryuuzoku skills and spells she inherited while still in the egg, she could not learn anything else.

"Luna and Lina usually take me on a flight a few times every month."

"So you're the only one who can't use magic." Xelloss mused. If Lina, whose magic power was rumored to be quite extraordinary, were sent in place of Filia, his mother would no doubt be very interested in getting her into the family. He stood on the wall and held out a gloved hand. "Care for a flight?"

Filia stared at his hand for a moment, then her face brightened. "Yes!" She slipped her hand into his and stood up.

"How about an aerial tour of the island?" Xelloss grinned, circling her waist with his left arm and started to take off. Filia blushed a little at the intimacy as his arm tightened around her waist, but she quickly got over the embarrassment and focused on the excitement of flying.

Filia took in everything she saw while Xelloss expertly gave her brief facts regarding the island. By the end of the two-hour-long tour, Filia was having the time of her life. Even Xelloss was enjoying it so much that he wondered why he hadn't tried this sooner. It was a shame there was only one month left with the delightful girl. He felt rather satisfied around her.

The two had a picnic in the forest with a few of the wolves and spent a good deal of time with the pack. Filia got along with the wolves quite well, and the beasts found the girl likable. Xelloss couldn't help but laugh with mirth when the girl was ambushed and tackled by the wolves.

Despite still being down on the ground and underneath the heavy wolves, a smile broke out on Filia's face. "This is the first time I've heard you laugh! I like the sound." The wolves blinked a few times.

Xelloss blinked too. When was the last time he really laughed? A century ago? He smiled at her. "I need to look up something in the library. Do you want to go somewhere safe, or do you want to come with me?"

"I'll go with you."

Filia ushered the wolves off her and got up. She dusted herself briefly and took hold of Xelloss' hand naturally. A faint blush rose up on Xelloss' face at the little gesture of trust. He nodded goodbye to the wolves and teleported the both of them.

+ - + - + - + - + - +

Filia let go of Xelloss' hand when she saw the huge room filled with countless arrays of bookshelves. She turned all directions to inspect the wealth of knowledge. "Look at all those books!"

"Welcome to my little personal library!" Xelloss grinned at her surprised expression. "Feel free to browse around. You can take some back with you to read whenever you're bored."

"Really? Thank you!" Filia wondered off, browsing the volumes on the shelves.

When Xelloss finished his research and went looking for Filia, he found her sitting on the floor in the corner reading intently, several more books piled beside her. Xelloss kneeled down in front of her to see the cover of the book.

"'Children of the Sun: Gold Dragons'?" Xelloss read the title out loud, startling the girl from her silent reading.

"Xelloss!"

"Hi. What did you get?" Xelloss looked through the pile of books. "Are you interested in Ryuuzoku and Gold Dragons?"

"Er, yes." Filia smiled nervously. "Luna told us a lot about them, but I've always wanted to learn more."

"Hmm, I didn't even remember I had this book." Xelloss took a closer look of the page she was on. "Ah, a drawing of the last Ryuuzoku."

"The last Ryuuzoku?" Filia glanced at the picture of a young woman with long blond hair not unlike her own. The caption below the picture was what Xelloss had pointed out.

"She was the last Ryuuzoku to die almost two hundreds years ago. A real tragic figure." Xelloss said. "It's a good thing that she died before giving birth to an offspring."

"Why is that?" Filia flipped through the pages, trying to find more information about the young woman, but couldn't.

"You won't find much about her in any books. She's only known as the last Ryuuzoku by most of the world."

"Most of the world? Do you know something about her?"

"The higher-ups of the major Mazoku families know of this, since Meiron is responsible for it." Xelloss nodded. "Meiron had some problems with the elder of the Gold Dragon tribe. However, the elder was unable to defeat Meiron, so he placed a curse on him instead. Meiron was cursed to fall for the daughter of one of the Gold Dragon maidens and not able to have her return his feelings."

"He WHAT!" Filia almost choked.

"Apparently, the elder was having trouble getting a certain priestess to obey him, so he decided to punish her as well. The first born of a Ryuuzoku priestess is always female, so as long as the maiden got married and gave birth, the plan could roll into action. If Meiron fall for the maiden's daughter, he wouldn't bother the tribe, and he would become the laughing stock of the Mazoku society. On the other hand, the priestess' family would find their lives constantly disturbed by a Mazoku, and it would be very difficult for the girl to find a mate, thus ending the line of the family. If the daughter turned out to be strong enough, she could kill Meiron and do the Ryuuzoku a big favour. That's killing several birds with one stone on the elder's part."

Filia was speechless for a second. She looked down at the picture of the blond woman. "Meiron... Is he strong?"

"I wouldn't say he's very strong because he's well below my level, but definitely not someone to be ignored. He is the heir to the Hellmaster, after all." Xelloss said. "Nothing short of a direct hit of Dragu Slave or attack from the Sword of Light would be able to destroy or seriously injure him."

"But I don't know how to cast Dragu Slave..." Filia whispered under her breath. She caught Xelloss looking at her curiously and quickly threw another question before he suspected anything. "Then how would the maiden's daughter be able to defeat Meiron? Ryuuzoku can't really cast any black magic spells that humans use, let alone a Dragu Slave."

"Good question. You're a quick observer." Xelloss grinned in approval. "Well, Ryuuzoku usually defeat a Mazoku by combining their power to overcome the Mazoku's. However, there is one ancient spell that does the job just as well. Chaotic Disintegrate. It's long lost and only few Ryuuzoku knew how to do it, but being a shrine maiden herself, no doubt the woman would knew the spell and passed it down to her daughter." Filia's fists clenched tightly when she heard the name of the spell.

Xelloss continued his tale, unaware of Filia's reactions. "Naturally, Meiron did everything in his power to prevent this from happening. When he heard the news of the maiden getting married to a Gold knight by the name of Savon ul Copt, he stirred up an all-out war between Mazoku and Ryuuzoku. As it turned out, the entire Ryuuzoku clan was wiped out in that war some two hundreds years ago, and this woman was the last to die."

"Why did you say that it's a good thing that she died before giving birth to an offspring?" Filia asked quietly, carefully masking the storms of emotions raging inside of her.

"Well, as much as I dislike Meiron and wish him gone, I can't help but pity the woman's daughter, if there was one. There is no rule that forbids the match of a Mazoku and a Ryuuzoku in our society, but it's never happened because these two clans were mortal enemies. It's an entirely different matter for the Ryuuzoku. If a dragon is found to have a relationship with a Mazoku, that dragon is severely punished, excommunicated, and killed. If the woman did give birth to a daughter, the girl could only hope to be stronger than Meiron and kill him, or live in shame for all of her life."

"The Ryuuzoku clan is no more." Filia let out a faint but heavy sigh and closed the book. She stood up and put the books back on the shelves.

"You're not reading them anymore?" Xelloss watched her.

"I've learned all I needed to know." Filia smiled sadly, not looking at him. "Besides, it's too depressing to hear such tales."

"Ah, you don't like sad stories? Humans like stories with happy endings, right?"

"I think so." Filia put a smile back on her slightly paled face and turned to face him. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes." Xelloss showed her the cover of the book, which was titled 'Guideline of Murder', written by Phibrizo.

Filia stared at him strangely. "What are you doing with this book?"

Xelloss scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'm just checking whether it's all right for me to get rid of a certain cousin of mine if he annoys me too much. I wouldn't want the Hellmaster to be mad at me, but he is never predictable. He killed off his own people sometimes just for the fun of it, you know."

"I doubt that he'll bother you after I leave the island." Filia looked away. Because he will be bothering me instead, she added silently.

"Ah, you never know. I never liked him, anyway. This is just in case." Xelloss grinned. "Are you sure you don't want to take out any books?"

"That's all right. I'm not that bored." Filia smiled. "Can we visit the wolves again?"

"Not now. Nobody enters the forest after dark. It's their hunting time." Xelloss wagged a finger. "Besides, it's almost time for dinner!"

Filia touched her stomach and felt hungry. "Yeah, you're right."

"Of course I am!" Xelloss took her hand. "Let me put this book away first. Wouldn't want any one else to know of this." He teleported them to his room.

"Would you like to join me for dinner? I eat in my room sometimes, and I don't feel like seeing my evil cousin so soon after getting that book." Xelloss smirked when he was done hiding the book.

"Sure." Filia smiled. She didn't feel like being alone. Not after learning the events that had taken place before her birth and having the knowledge of her burden.

"Great! I'll tell them to bring our dinner in." Xelloss snapped his finger.

"You called?" A young girl with long wavy black hair appeared at the door and bowed.

"I would like to dine with Filia in my room. Please bring us dinner and tell mother, Xema."

The girl teleported out and returned in a few minutes with their food, as well as a bottle of wine. She bowed again and was about to teleport away when Xelloss stopped her.

"Xema, do you know when your brother is coming back?"

"Xenid told me that he was at Master Garv's, and that he was going to Mistress Dolphin's palace next. He wasn't sure how long it'd take him to return."

"When did he tell you this?"

"Last night."

"Hmm, then Valgarv will be here tomorrow." Xelloss mused. "You can go now, Xema." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"Enjoy your dinner." Xema smiled at the blond and teleported away.

"That was Xenid's sister?" Filia asked.

"Yes. Being siblings, they can communicate via telepathy." Xelloss picked up the bottle of wine and read the label. "Hmm, this one should be fine. You might be able to get past two glasses."

Filia blushed. "I got drunk last night, didn't I? Maybe I shouldn't drink anymore. Luna is right in not letting me drink."

"Nonsense. What's a candlelit dinner without wine?" Xelloss poured the clear liquid into two glasses gracefully. "Just drink it slowly and you'll be fine."

Filia gave a small nod and sat down at the small round table.

"Now." Xelloss sat down and sipped at his wine. "Why don't you tell me about your family and I'll tell you about mine? I'm sure we're both curious about each other's background."

"Well, as you already know, Luna is pretty much the head of my family, despite her 'young' age..."

The night passed by with the two of them talking over dinner and laughing at the funny things that happened in their lives. It was an enjoyable night, and Xelloss felt like pouting when his fiancee once again fell asleep under the influence of alcohol. At least she stayed awake long enough, and it was fun while it lasted. Xelloss gently picked her up and brought her back to her room.

"Good night, my dear Filia."

_to be continued_

* * *

Author's Note:  
I meant to post earlier but kept forgetting to. My memory is failing me at an alarming rate... 

How did you like the turn of event? I mentioned Filia's secret in the story summary and in the prologue so it shouldn't be surprising enough to quality as a plot twist, and some of you probably saw it coming. For some weird reason, I can never seem to write a story without physical fights or at least a decisive battle, even if I started out wanting a pure sap... Let me just clarify that the Mazoku in this AU do not sense/feed on emotions, so no one would notice the change in Filia's mood.

I used quite a bit of the "if" sentence structures in this chapter, which is one of my biggest weaknesses, so please let me know if I did something wrong. I really appreciate it. Last but not least, please tell me what you think of the story so far! I'm always happy to read any comment and feedback. :)


	4. Chapter 3

**Intimate Stranger**

by Handsome Puppy

Disclaimer:  
Slayers belongs to Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa Shoten/TV TOKYO/SOFTX/Marubeni. The title "Intimate Stranger" is taken from the song of the same name in the delirious? album "Glo". This story and all the original characters are mine.

* * *

Xelloss wasn't too happy when he was summoned by his mother early in the morning and had to remain in her chamber for the whole morning. 

Valgarv, heir to the Demon Dragon King, arrived in the morning with gifts from his master, as well as a polite declination to attend the Beastmaster's 2000th birthday celebration. Zellas was slightly disappointed that her brother wasn't going to come for the big event, but she was nevertheless satisfied with the presents. She chatted with Valgarv about how the Demon Dragon King was doing, and then she gave him permission to leave. Xelloss, however, had to stay behind to discuss the celebration plan with her.

After leaving the Beastmaster's palace, Valgarv wondered around the premises, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of the human girl that was Xelloss' fiancee and the subject of other Mazoku's chatters. He spotted her easily with her long and shining golden hair near the edge of the forest, but he also saw the son of Phibrizo cornering her.

"Fair Filia, it pains me not being able to see your angelic face after our last meeting." Meiron approached with a sly expression. "I have much to talk with you about, as I want to know you more."

Filia glanced around, inwardly blaming herself for taking on Zellas' offer on relaxing in the forest with the wolves. The wolves were all summoned away by their mistress, and she was left alone with the 'evil cousin' once more. She touched the engagement ring, pondering on her next course of action. She was ready to make a run for it and call for Xelloss when another presence suddenly appeared between them.

"You must be Filia." Valgarv grinned, scanning the blond with his golden eyes.

Filia stiffened at the unexpected stranger, relieved and fearful at the same time. Was he here to help, or was he here to worsen the problem? "Who... Who are you?"

"What are you doing here, Valgarv?" Meiron barked impatiently at the intruder.

"Valgarv?" Filia repeated the name and relaxed a little. She remembered Xelloss telling her once that Valgarv and Meiron didn't see eye to eye with each other.

"Beautiful eyes. Nice hair, too." Valgarv smiled in his proud and arrogant way, taking hold of a strand of golden casually. "I want to talk to you for a bit."

"Uh? Sure..." Filia was unaccustomed to his direct approach, but she was willing to go with him in order to get away from Meiron. Valgarv wrapped an arm around her and teleported out before Meiron could do anything.

When Filia came to realise what happened, she found them in a grass field with a river running through. Valgarv let go of her and walked toward the river bank. He sat down on a rock casually and signalled her to do the same.

"Don't worry about that pest. He can't get near. I have a barrier around us so he won't hear a word we exchange." Valgarv said meaningfully.

"Um, thank you." Filia bit her lips a little. "You... What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You are a Gold Dragon, aren't you?" Valgarv looked at her straight in the eyes.

Filia gasped and grew pale. "How did you...?"

Valgarv chuckled and softened his gaze. "I'm part Ryuuzoku myself, so I can sense your true aura behind the seal."

"You're part Ryuuzoku? You're not a Mazoku?" Filia looked at him with a confused expression.

"Let's just say that I was adopted by Master Garv and became part Mazoku."

"Really? I am adopted, too." For some reason, Filia felt an affinity to him.

"No doubt. The Ryuuzoku clan was supposed to be wiped out two hundreds years ago." Valgarv said. "I heard that the Knight of Cepheid got to the scene too late and wasn't able to save anyone. That's apparently not true if you're here."

"Luna wasn't able to save anyone. It's just that not everyone was dead when she got there." Filia recalled what the Knight of Cepheid told her. "My parents still had their last breaths and left my egg to Luna's care. She put a seal on me and delayed my hatching time so that I could learn all Ryuuzoku skills inside the barrier she placed on the egg. When I was hatched 25 years ago, she adopted me into her family. No one knows of my real identity, and my power continues to be sealed."

"I see. That explains why you feel completely human to everyone, even to the Mazoku." Valgarv nodded. "She also took away your ability to transform into a dragon in order for you to stay in your human form permanently, didn't she? Very smart move, I must say. There are still Mazoku that hold a grudge against the Ryuuzoku. If your true identity is found out, you'd be hunted down and killed."

"Luna is more like a mother than a sister to me. She took care of my egg and made sure I blend in perfectly. I suppose she's the only real family I'll ever have." Filia smiled sadly. Even though her Ryuuzoku power was sealed, she still had the long life of a Gold Dragon. All the human acquaintances she made wouldn't last. Not even her dear sister Lina.

Valgarv looked at her, his tone somewhat hesitant. "If you don't mind, you can come into my family when your human one passes away. I'm sure Master Garv won't mind me getting a little sister." This was his first time meeting the girl, yet he felt strangely attached to her. He didn't want to see her sad.

"That's very nice of you, Valgarv." Filia smiled at the slightly blushing man.

"Anyway, how did you end up on Wolf Pack Island? And becoming Xelloss' fiancee, no less."

Filia exhaled slowly. "Father lost a bet to Zellas Metallium and had to marry a daughter to Zellas' son. Luna is out of the question, of course, so that left me and my other sister Lina. Lina was father's first choice, but she's in love with another man. I couldn't let her be separated from her love, so I insisted on coming in her place. Luna was away when the deal was made, and it was too late for her to do anything when she returned on the day of my departure."

"It's a good thing that Luna sealed your power and have you almost completely human." Valgarv shook his head. "There's no telling what would have happened if anyone finds out about your Ryuuzoku identity, especially with Meiron around. He hates Ryuuzoku with a passion."

Filia nodded. "Luckily, Xelloss also didn't want to get married, and we agreed to just wait the six-month trial period out. Then I can just go back to Zephilia."

"It's not that easy, girl." Valgarv jabbed his thumb at the figure outside the barrier. "He's going to follow you all the way back to Zephilia."

Filia froze. "How did you know?"

"Your parents gave your egg to Luna, right? That makes you the daughter of the last Ryuuzoku, doesn't it, Filia ul Copt? Of course, I don't doubt that Luna can get rid of him without even lifting a finger, but I have a feeling that you wouldn't want your sister involved."

"No." Filia sighed. "I asked Xelloss for a way to defeat Meiron. I think I can handle him."

"But that would blow your cover." Valgarv grinned wickedly. "I can kill him for you. He is no match for me."

"That's alright. I'll deal with him myself." Filia smiled.

"If you say so." Valgarv's expression softened. "So I take it that Xelloss doesn't know about this yet?"

"Xelloss is a nice person and I don't want to deceive him, but I have no choice. He thinks I'm just an ordinary human girl who happens to be in the same family with Luna." Filia paused a little and looked down. "Do you think he will be angry at me when he finds out?"

Valgarv snorted. "Nobody knows what that guy's thinking. He might not even care. But if he is angry, he's gonna have to get past me first to get to you."

"Why are you helping me, Valgarv?" Filia looked at him, curious and puzzled.

He returned her gaze sincerely. "For two centuries, I've thought that I'm the only one with Ryuuzoku blood. Now that I've met you, how can I not help you?"

"Thank you." Filia smiled and touched his arm gently. Valgarv blushed a little and smiled back.

Such was the scene Xelloss saw when he arrived. He stared at the pair inside the barrier with confusion, then he glared at his cousin furiously.

"WHAT happened?" Xelloss demanded.

"It's just as you can see." Meiron seized the opportunity to blame another. "Valgarv appeared suddenly and carried Filia off-"

"Xelloss!" Filia ran up to her fiance happily, effectively cutting off whatever Meiron was trying to say.

"Filia! Are you okay?" Xelloss pulled her to him and looked her over. "I didn't think mother would summon all the wolves to the palace and leave you alone here."

"I am fine." Filia smiled at him. "I had a nice talk with Valgarv."

"And what did you two talk about?" Xelloss asked, his eyes on the servant of the Demon Dragon King, who had just dropped the barrier and was casually walking toward them.

"I was merely asking how the Knight of Cepheid is doing. She is the guardian of Ryuuzoku, after all." Valgarv shrugged.

"Oh, really? Then what was that I saw?" Xelloss gazed into the pair of golden eyes that stared right back at him.

"I was thanking him for helping me." Filia said, still in Xelloss' arms.

"Helping you?"

"Your cousin over there was harassing Filia. I took her here so I could talk to her in peace." Valgarv cast a pointed glance at the guilty Mazoku.

"Why, cousin Meiron, I thought you are not that low as to hit on your cousin's fiancee, again." Though Xelloss' tone was light, his open eyes glared dangerously at Meiron. He wrapped his arm around Filia possessively. No one invaded his territory and got away with it. As long as Filia had the title of being his fiancee, he would not allow anyone to touch her.

"You'd believe a half-blood's words over your own cousin's?" Meiron tried to distract Xelloss' attention to a less serious issue.

"It depends, but I'll take my fiancee's words over yours anytime." Xelloss said and rested his chin on Filia's golden head.

"Hmph!" Meiron gave the girl one last look and teleported out.

Xelloss loosened his hold on Filia and released her. "Don't ever trust mother again. She's the one behind the whole game."

"Getting protective, huh? I thought you don't want to be bonded to anyone, Xelloss." Valgarv smirked.

"What I do is no business of yours, Valgarv." Xelloss turned to glare at him with open eyes. "If you've done what you were sent here to do, leave."

"Tsk, tsk. That's not very nice of you, Xelloss." Valgarv grinned at the Gold Dragon. "You must be wrong, Filia. This Mazoku can never be nice."

"Eh?" Xelloss blinked at his words, pausing just long enough for the Ancient-Mazoku to wink at Filia and teleported. He glanced at the slightly blushing girl beside him. "You told him that I am... nice?"

"Yes." Filia looked away nervously. Would that be an insult for a Mazoku? Would he get mad for being called nice?

Xelloss sighed, uncertain what to make of her comment. This fiancee of his sure was interesting. He glanced at the innocent expression on her face. "Well, I doubt that mother is going to have any more long talk with me before the term's over, so you won't be left alone. However, her birthday is less than two weeks away so I have to arrange the whole celebration and other things. My other relatives could also arrive anytime. It might be boring, but just make sure you stay with me at all times, okay?"

"Hn." Filia smiled and nodded.

+ - + - + - + - + - +

"Yes, that's 3000 bottles of the finest Zephilian wine... I know that's your whole stock. I'm paying good price for them." Xelloss said with a bored expression.

Making arrangements for the birthday celebration for Beastmaster without leaving the island was not a difficult thing to do. All he needed were some lesser wolves that could communicate telepathically. Right now, he was leaning on the couch in his room with Xephi sitting in front of him, acting as messenger between him and the wine maker.

"Xin will give you the money tomorrow morning when he picks up the wine... How he's going to carry all the bottles isn't really your business, is it? Mr. Ascar?" Xelloss felt like rolling his eyes. And this wine maker also happened to be the owner of the restaurant where Luna worked? Hadn't he learned anything from having such a special employee?

"It is nice doing business with you, Mr. Ascar. Then, good night." Xelloss got up, ready to signal the lesser wolf to close the link and call it a day.

"Lady Luna."

The Beast Priest paused when he heard the lesser wolf on the other side called out.

Xephi looked at her master, silently asking if she should keep the link with her brother. Xelloss nodded and sat back down.

"Xin, right?" Luna Inverse walked up to the human looking Mazoku with grace and ease. "Is Xelloss on the other side?"

"Good evening, Miss Luna." Xelloss greeted first cheerfully. "It's unfortunate that you're one minute too late. I already bought all the wine from the nice old man."

"I was only coming to check. I knew you'd place the order sooner or later. Zellas really likes Zephilian wine, after all." Luna smiled.

"How well you know mother, Miss Luna."

"So how is she?"

"Alive and well." Xelloss replied, knowing that she was asking about her little sister. His grin grew wider. "The wolves are quite taken up with her."

"Where is she now? Can I talk to her?" Luna's voice softened.

"Filia? Sure you can talk to her. She was reading some books on the bed when I made the call." Xelloss turned around and found the girl sleeping peacefully with a book half opened. "...and she's asleep."

Luna cocked an eyebrow, though Xelloss could not see it. "Asleep? In the presence of a Mazoku such as you?"

"Well, this is not the first time, and she's not afraid of me for some reason." Xelloss sighed and walked to the bed. He studied her innocent face for a moment. "She even called me nice."

"You? Nice?" Luna laughed before she turned serious suddenly. "Filia's lived a very sheltered life and believes that no one is truly evil. She's the purest and sweetest girl I've seen in the past few centuries. Don't you touch her and taint her innocence, Xelloss. If you hurt her in any way, I will sure to pay you back."

"I don't plan to harm her at all so you can rest assured, Miss Luna." Xelloss' expression was soft as he pulled a blanket over the sleeping beauty.

"What about the son of Hellmaster? He's also on Wolf Pack Island, isn't he?" Something flashed in Luna's eyes, but her bang effectively shielded it from being seen by anyone.

Xelloss opened his amethyst eyes and narrowed them dangerously. "If Meiron ever lay a finger on Filia, I'll kill him."

"I hope you keep your word, Xelloss." Luna nodded. "I don't wish to show myself on the island before the appointed pick up date." She added under her breath.

"What?" Xelloss didn't catch all of her last sentence.

"Nothing. Keep her safe and sound, Xelloss." Luna put her mysterious smile back on. "Say hi to Filia for me, won't you?"

"Of course, Miss Luna."

"Then, good night." Luna said. She waved goodbye to the lesser wolf and left.

"Lady Luna has left, Master Xelloss." Xephi said. Xelloss nodded and signalled the girl to take leave, which she did.

Xelloss scooped up his fiancee, wrapped her in his blanket, and teleported to her room. He placed her gently on the bed and stroke her cheek softly.

"Good night, my precious Filia."

_to be continued_

* * *

Author's Note:  
I finally remembered to update... Those of you who were wondering why Luna sealed Filia's power, I hope this chapter answers that question somewhat. 

I had a bit of trouble deciding how Xelloss should address Luna. In my original file, he used Luna-san, while the lesser wolf used Luna-sama. However, reading over the story this time around made me realise that I didn't put any Japanese in the previous chapters, and therefore it would seem awkward to use the Japanese honourifics now. Hope that worked out all right. What did you think of the 'chemistry' between Valgarv and Filia? I don't particularly support Val/Filia, but I really like to explore the sibling/kinsmanship connection between them. The next chapter marks the climax and the last chapter before the epilogue. Stay tuned for the only angst in this sappy story. XD


	5. Chapter 4

**Intimate Stranger**

by Handsome Puppy

Disclaimer:  
Slayers belongs to Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa Shoten/TV TOKYO/SOFTX/Marubeni. The title "Intimate Stranger" is taken from the song of the same name in the delirious? album "Glo". This story and all the original characters are mine.

* * *

"Happy 2000, Zellas!" Dolphin hugged her sister happily like a little girl. 

Zellas was glad to see the Seamaster, but she couldn't help but grimace a little. "Do you have to hug me so tightly, Dolphin?"

"Dolphin misses you a lot, Zellas! That's why I invited Xenid to stay at the Deep Sea Palace so he could tell me everything that's happened on Wolf Pack Island!" Dolphin smiled and released her sister. She glanced at the young man standing humbly a few paces away and pouted. "Xenid didn't really want to stay with us. Doesn't he like us?"

Zellas laughed and waved at the lesser wolf to give him leave. "It's nothing like that. Xelloss wanted Xenid to stay on the island, that's all."

The young woman's eyes shone suddenly as she clasped her hands together in excitement. "That's right! Dolphin wants to see Xel's bride!"

"It's fiancee, Dolphin. They are only engaged." Zellas corrected. "I think they're greeting Dynast and Phibrizo over there." Dolphin followed her gaze and saw a group of people gathering in the garden.

"Let's go meet them!" Dolphin cried happily and dragged her sister along.

"Filia Inverse, eh? Cute." Hellmaster Phibrizo grinned childishly.

"Thank you." Filia was getting more nervous by the second. Not only was she face to face with two Mazoku Lords, Meiron was there with Phibrizo as well.

"So how's everything in Hell, uncle Phibrizo?" Xelloss inquired politely, holding Filia from behind to ease her anxiety.

"The usual. Nothing much and boring." Phibrizo snorted.

"And you, uncle Dynast?" Xelloss turned to the formidable figure towering over the child form of the Hellmaster. "You came by yourself. Where are Grau and Sherra?"

"They're enjoying their married lives." Dynast rolled his eyes. "I don't even get to see them except during family reunions at the end of each month."

"Xel!"

Xelloss mentally winced when he heard the voice. "Aunt Dolphin."

"Ooh! Xel's bride is beautiful!" Dolphin took off a string of pearls from her wavy blue hair and put it into Filia's golden hair. "Perfect! Isn't Filia pretty, Xel?" She turned the girl around to let Xelloss get a good look.

Filia's face was painted pink with a faint blush, and with the sun shining brightly on her, she looked absolutely gorgeous. Xelloss was speechless for a moment before he found his tongue and smiled tenderly at his fiancee. "She is." Filia blushed deeper at his words and smiled back shyly.

All this did not go unnoticed by a furious Meiron. He stood behind his master silently and glared at the smiling girl. The corner of his mouth curved up slightly as a plan slowly formed in his mind.

"Ah, has it already begun?" A loud voice said from the entrance of the garden. Everyone turned and saw the Demon Dragon King Garv entering with his heir Valgarv.

"Garv! I thought you're not coming! You even sent Valgarv to tell me." Zellas blinked in surprise.

The big man laughed heartily. "Well, I didn't plan to come because of some business I need to attend to, but Valgarv told me about Xelloss' fiancee and I just have to come and see her for myself!"

"So you're here to see Filia, not me." Zellas pouted.

"That, too." Garv scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Happy 2000, Zellas!" He turned his focus on the blond girl beside Xelloss. "Filia, right? Valgarv said all those good things about you. He doesn't compliment lightly, so you must be a special girl."

"Thank you for your kind words, Sir Garv." Filia smiled at him. Xelloss told her about Garv before, so she knew that the Demon Dragon King wasn't one to be hostile to Ryuuzoku. Not that he was aware of her identity...

"Am I the only one who still bring my son everywhere I go?" Garv noted that only Meiron was present out of the younger generation.

"No, but only unmarried children go out with their masters." Dynast grunted.

"Well, how about we get the party started?" Phibrizo said. "I've been looking forward to the celebration for a year!"

"Is Hell that boring, Phibi?" Dolphin asked innocently.

"Don't even mention that place." Phibrizo held up a hand in defeat. "I don't want to be reminded of all those stupid and boring paper works. The dead have been way too obedient and quiet for my liking."

Zellas chuckled. "As fun loving as ever, eh? If there's still any wine left by the end of the party, you can bring a few bottles back to wreak some hovac, Phibrizo. Zephilian wine always produces the best effects."

"Splendid idea, Zellas! Let's get the show on the road!"

Beastmaster Zellas Metallium led the group out the garden and toward the grand palace on the top of the highest mountain on the island. When the palace was in sight, Garv suddenly stopped.

"You guys go ahead. I want to talk to Xelloss for a bit." Zellas nodded and ushered the rest up the hill. No body saw the strange gleam in Meiron's eyes.

"Yes, uncle Garv?" Xelloss asked, his eyes followed his fiancee and saw Dolphin walking beside her.

"This martial contract you have with Filia is good for six months, right?" Garv started.

"Yes."

"Zellas said that you don't want to get married, so I guess it's all right..." Garv mused.

"What's all right?" Xelloss was starting to get impatient. He didn't want to leave Filia alone with all his relatives. The Demon Dragon King was quite powerful even among the Mazoku Lords, but he was also known to not talk straight.

"You aren't going to marry Filia and she will be free to go next week when the trial period ends." Garv said, not noticing the stiff expression on Xelloss' face. "Valgarv mentioned something about adopting Filia into the family. I think he really likes her."

"And?" Xelloss' eyes narrowed.

"I like the girl, too. I'm considering Valgarv's suggestion of adopting her."

"Filia loves her family very much so I don't think she'll agree. Besides, she is still MY fiancee right now." Xelloss stressed.

"I'm talking about after her family passes away. You know how short those humans live."

"Filia IS human. She's not going to outlive her family by much." Xelloss said and felt something sting inside. She only had a couple more decades to go, while he still had many millenia...

"The Knight of Cepheid will be reborn within thirty years. Who knows where she'd be in her next life? Filia will be all alone by herself." Garv continued.

Xelloss' face twitched. Didn't he hear anything he said? "Filia is only one year younger than her sister Lina. She will NOT be all alone by herself."

"Valgarv said he wanted a little sister like Filia. I'm sure he'll be a good brother."

"Uncle Garv!" Xelloss raised his voice to call the Demon Dragon King back from his own reverie. "Filia is human and will stay with the humans until she dies. She wasn't supposed to associate with us Mazoku in the first place. Stop saying that please!"

"She's human?" Garv blinked as if just waking up from a dream. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! She doesn't even know any spells. A plain and ordinary human girl." It would simply be wrong for a Mazoku and a human to be together. The human would age and grow weak, while the Mazoku could only watch and wait for her end to come helplessly. Xelloss shook his head violently in an attempt to erase the images.

"Oh..." Garv looked disappointed. "Valgarv was so excited when he talked so I forgot that she's human."

"Excited?" Xelloss felt depressed the more he thought about it. He had been enjoying his life for the past three weeks so much, he had forgotten that Filia wouldn't be there forever.

"Well, let's go. They're probably wondering what's taking us." Garv sighed and led the way. Xelloss followed silently with a heavy heart.

When they were at the gate of the palace, an acute pain suddenly shot through Xelloss' body as he lost his senses on Filia. Without further hesitation, he teleported into the hall.

"Where's Filia! What happened?" Xelloss demanded as soon as he re-appeared in the hall.

"Valgarv went down to the cellar to fetch more wine for us, and Meiron took the chance to grab Filia. He muffled her with one hand and jerked the engagement ring off with the other." Dynast said and pointed to a crumbled object on the floor. "He teleported out with her before we could act."

"WHAT!" Xelloss almost yelled. "Where is he taking Filia?"

"Calm down, Xelloss. I am trying to link up with Xenid." Zellas spoke up.

"Xenid?"

"Xenid jumped into the teleport before they disappeared." Dolphin said. She gestured at a sleeping Hellmaster. "Too bad Phibi got drunk. Otherwise he could find out where Meiron is easily."

Zellas stood up and walked to the centre of the hall. "The signal is weak but I found them. Dolphin, you stay here in case Phibrizo wakes up." The rest of the group, including Valgarv, got into position around the Beastmaster to be teleported.

+ - + - + - + - + - +

The first thing Meiron did when he re-appeared on one of the hundreds of small and deserted islands around Wolf Pack Island, was raising his aura and sending the lesser wolf flying and crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.

"Xenid!" Filia cried, still struggling against Meiron's grasp.

"Hmph! That'll tell you not to interfere with me, scum!" Meiron spat.

Xenid's power level was no match for the heir of Hellmaster and he knew it, but he couldn't just let Meiron take Filia. "Let... her go..." He managed to stand up, though it seemed that he would fall any time.

"Ho? You wish to fight me, little one?" Meiron laughed madly and set Filia down on the ground. "Very well! I'll end your miserable life here and now!" He started gathering energy in both his hands.

"NO! STOP IT!" Filia yelled. She hurriedly reached for the sapphire pendant she wore around her neck and quickly whispered something inaudible.

"DIE!" Meiron threw the energy blasts at the defenceless Mazoku.

The blasts almost hit Xenid when a burst of light appeared between him and the fatal attacks. Huge explosions followed and the entire area was covered with the smoke resulted from the explosions. That's what greeted the group when Zellas teleported them to the cliff overlooking the small island.

When the smoke cleared, everyone was shocked to see Filia lying on top of Xenid, who was in his wolf form now due to his much weakened condition, and shielding him. The grass under and around the two were stained red with their blood.

"Filia! Xenid!" Xelloss took off immediately, but he was prevented further advance by an invisible barrier. "A ward! Meiron's?"

"It doesn't feel like a Mazoku ward." Zellas noted.

"It's Filia's." Valgarv spoke up quietly.

"What did you say!" Everyone turned to look at the Ancient-Mazoku in surprise.

"Why did you do that, my Filia?" Meiron's eyes widened at the sight. He quickly ran toward the wounded girl.

"Don't you... come any closer!" Filia warned in a low voice through her heavy breathing. She struggled up and took a few steps forward. "We'll end everything... here and now."

The lesser wolf tried to get up and help, but Filia signalled him to remain still. "Don't leave the barrier, Xenid... You'll die." It was then that the group above them noticed a second and much smaller barrier erected inside the ward, protecting the severely injured wolf.

"What are you doing, Filia?" Meiron asked. "Why are you trying to fight me? Why can't you see my love for you?"

"Shut up!" Filia hissed. "I will end the curse today... I will kill you, Meiron!"

"Curse?" Everyone, except Valgarv, was taken off guard. Xelloss was hit with a sudden and horrible realisation. "The last Ryuuzoku!"

Down below, Filia started to chant in a language so ancient that none of them could understand. Her body shone violently and emitted a white light. The light grew brighter and increased in its dimension. The Mazoku watched stunned as the entire ward was filled by the blinding light.

"CHAOTIC DISINTEGRATE!"

"FILIA!" For some reason, Xelloss was suddenly afraid and fearful. He felt as if he lost something very dear right at that moment.

The scream of Meiron was heard through the sea of light. When the light faded away, the Mazoku was nowhere to be seen. The ward and the small barrier inside disappeared as Filia collapsed.

"Filia!" Xelloss was the first to teleport and touch down on the surface of the small island, but a whip of fire blocked him before he could reach her. He looked up to see the Knight of Cepheid riding on an armoured drake, with Filia in her arms. "Luna!" The other Mazoku had also teleported down by this time.

"I was hoping this wouldn't happen." Luna said sadly. She searched for the face of her friend. "Zellas, I take it the martial contract is off now?"

"Yes." Zellas answered quietly.

"Then I'm taking Filia." Luna said and was ready to leave.

"Wait!" Xelloss called out desperately. "Let me see Filia! How is she!"

Luna looked at him with an abnormal calmness, her tone even but barely masking the frustration and exasperation. "She broke the seal I had on her with force and got hurt; she took the blasts for Xenid; she left Xenid inside the barrier and exposed herself to the Chaotic Disintegrate in the space enclosed by the ward. She's never used her power and the first time she used it, she did all the suicidal things. She is dying, Xelloss. What more do you need to see?"

"No, wait! You can't take her away-"

"If she stay here any longer, she'll die for sure." Luna shook her head firmly. "I'm re-sealing her back to the egg. It's the only way she'll survive."

"She'll lose every memory she has about this life." Valgarv said with a low voice and looked down. Xelloss turned to him in shock.

"Yes, but it's better than losing her life." Luna nodded.

She won't remember me... Xelloss watched the girl in Luna's arms, blood dripping down from her body. He could only watch helplessly.

Filia stirred a little and, slowly and painfully, opened her eyes. Luna was the first one that came into sight. "Luna... Sorry I broke the seal..."

"Hush, don't try to talk, Filia. I'm taking you home." Luna pressed a hand on her forehead gently.

Filia turned her head with great effort and saw the group of people down below. Her eyes rested on the purple-haired Mazoku. "Xelloss... Sorry... I lied to you..."

"Filia..." Xelloss strained his neck to see her. He saw Filia's eyes closed and felt a tear landing on his face.

When Filia lost consciousness again, Luna knew she didn't have much time. She gave the group one final look and steered the drake away.

Xelloss followed them with his eyes until he couldn't see them anymore. His head hung low as he stared at a broken string of pearls stained with blood lying on the red grass before him, his fists clenched tight until his knuckles turned white. It was better this way. He couldn't let Filia die. As long as she was alive somewhere, he could live with the pain.

"Good bye... Filia."

_to be continued_

* * *

Author's Note:  
I planned to post this chapter last week and finish the story on Valentine's Day but kept forgetting... I'm really bad with keeping time. 

Yeah, I know it's not much of a battle, but I tried. Action scenes aren't my forte at all. How did I do with the Mazoku Lords? I never finished the whole of TRY and saw part of NEXT so I hope they were passable (within the allowed limit of an AU, that is); I apologise if they were way too out of character. As promised, this is the only angst in the story. I always do happy endings. Please look forward to the epilogue! XD


	6. Epilogue

**Intimate Stranger**

by Handsome Puppy

Disclaimer:  
Slayers belongs to Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa Shoten/TV TOKYO/SOFTX/Marubeni. The title "Intimate Stranger" is taken from the song of the same name in the delirious? album "Glo". This story and all the original characters are mine.

* * *

"Can I help you?" 

A young woman answered the door. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the two visitors.

"We are looking for someone, pretty sis." The child that looked far too mature and wise for his age spoke up, grinning and showing off his youthful charm. His companion, on the other hand, was silent and had an unreadable expression on his pale and downcast face.

"If you're looking for Luna, she hasn't shown up yet." The red-haired woman crossed her arms.

"We're looking for..." The tall young man with purple hair started but hesitated.

"Filia." The child finished for him.

"There is no Filia Inverse here." She leaned against the door frame and watched the man's face ashened, a smirk hanging on her face.

"I've really lost her. She has a new life now." The man looked down sadly. He turned to leave with a broken heart, but the child stopped him.

"Chaos Knight Lina, right?" The child looked at the young woman with a strange gleam in his eyes. "Would you be able to tell us where we can find Filia ul Copt, or would we have to ask the Knight of Cepheid instead?"

"Sharp. As expected from Hellmaster Phibrizo." Lina chuckled. "There is no Filia Inverse here, but Filia ul Copt is fencing with my husband by the river over the hill." She pointed to the east.

The purple-haired man jerked his head up at the words as if struck by lightning. He muttered something resembling gratitude and disappeared instantly. The child laughed and gave the Knight a cute wink. "Thank you, pretty sis." With that, he followed his companion and teleported away.

Lina Gabriev glanced toward the direction of the river, looking both relieved and anxious at the same time. "He has come at last. How will this turn out?"

"It'll be just fine."

The Chaos Knight turned to look at the new comer. "It's you!"

+ - + - + - + - + - +

Valgarv followed the duel closely with his attention fully on the blind-folded blond. The two had been at it for a good hour or so now; he knew it's about time for the expert swordsman to end the session with his protege. Shifting his leaning posture slightly against the tree, the Ancient Mazoku glanced to his left when he felt a stir in the air.

"Yo, you finally made it here." Valgarv greeted with a smirk and turned back to watch the sword fight between the two blonds without paying the priest any more mind.

Xelloss felt like gritting his teeth and snarling at the welcome he received. It seemed that he had been kept in the dark all along by some sort of conspiracy. But he would had to deal with that later. He was here for a much more important reason. The Mazoku looked around the river bank and immediately found the parrying pair. He felt his heart stop when he set eyes on the figure wielding a long thin sword.

"Filia."

Xelloss whispered the name under his breath and gazed intently at her. She still looked the way he remembered it; only her dress was replaced by a blue tunic and white pants.

"She's pretty good, isn't she?" Valgarv smiled proudly as the Ryuuzoku crossed swords with the Swordsman of Light in rapid succession. "Even Master Garv is having trouble fending her off now."

Upon hearing the name of the Mazoku Lord, Xelloss couldn't disregard the nagging feeling any longer and turned to glare at the green-haired Ancient. "How long have you known?"

"How long? About three months after that incident."

Xelloss blinked. "I thought re-sealing takes years?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes." Valgarv shrugged. "Lina became the Chaos Knight when Filia was on Wolf Pack Island. Having both the Cepheid Knight and the Chaos Knight doing the re-seal, it took them less than two months. I was surprised when I saw Filia working as a part-time waitress when I went to talk to Luna."

Xelloss' eyes narrowed. "Filia's working at Zephyre Tavern?"

"Luna referred her." Valgarv replied and didn't bother to hide his amusement.

"And Mother never told me even though she goes there every month? Does she have any idea what I had to go through for the past twenty-five years!" Xelloss growled. "I knew it! You're all in this together!"

"We just want to make sure of you two's feelings." Valgarv said elusively, but the Mazoku was too mad to notice the underlying meaning of the Ancient's words.

"Who else knows?"

"You'll know soon enough." Valgarv ignored the glare sent his way.

Xelloss suppressed his annoyance and frustration for now. He turned to look at the sparring duo as they locked their swords one last time and departed.

"At this rate, you're going to surpass me in no time, Filia." Gourry wiped the sweat off his forehead after sheathing his sword.

"No way. You are the best swordsman in the world, Gourry." Filia took off the blindfold and smiled at her swordsmanship master.

"You know, I never thought I'd be envious of Garv, but I must admit he has the best heirs out of all five of us."

"Uncle Phibrizo!"

Xelloss' eyes twitched when he saw Filia greeting the child-like Mazoku Lord with familiarity, and then he jerked his head toward the Ancient Mazoku. "Uncle?"

"Master Garv adopted Filia into our family after the re-seal. Of course she would call him uncle." Valgarv snickered at the priest's expression.

"Why you-!" Xelloss growled, but all sound seemed to cease when Valgarv called out.

"Filia!"

Xelloss froze in place as the woman of his soul turned their direction. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion as he caught her deep sapphire eyes for the first time after so many years. An indescribable feeling of joy and ecstasy welled up in his chest, but at the same time, he was overcome by sadness and fear. Before he could figure out how to react, however, Filia had ran into him and wrapped her arms around him happily.

"Xelloss, you really came! Luna was telling the truth!" Filia's innocent laughter filled the air.

"Of course I was telling the truth."

Xelloss sighed inwardly and turned his head slightly to look at the newly reborned Cepheid Knight.

"Long time no see, Xelloss." Luna smirked at the twitching priest before smiling at her sister. "I'm back, Filia."

"Welcome back, Luna!" Filia grinned at her but didn't leave Xelloss.

"Isn't it good now that Xelloss is here?" The black-haired woman stood under the tree beside Valgarv.

"Yes, though Xelloss looks thiner and paler compared to my dreams."

The Beast Priest was about to inquire when he sensed an awfully familiar aura. He felt like lamenting his misfortune and going berserk at the same time.

"Poor Xelloss' been drowning himself in sorrow and regrets for the past two and a half decades, it's understandable." The new blond arriving at the scene said slyly.

For once, Xelloss looked extremely peeved. He narrowed his eyes and glared daggers at the people around him. "Spill your twisted plot, people!"

"What ever can you be referring to?" Phibrizo shrugged casually with feigned innocence. Luna and Zellas had a harmless look on their faces.

"It's like this." Valgarv decided to spare the priest, as much as he was enjoying the show. "After the re-seal, I came to talk to Luna and adopted Filia into my family, changing her name from Filia Inverse back to her original name, Filia ul Copt. She started working at the same restaurant as Luna, and your mother saw Filia there."

"But Filia didn't remember Zellas." Luna picked up the thread, "Because the damage was too severe, she lost all memories and Ryuuzoku power during the re-seal. The only difference between her and a normal human now is that she doesn't age. Mine and Lina's power sort of made her immortal."

"Even though she lost her memory, she recognised me." Zellas continued. "Apparently, she was seeing faces of people in her dreams, but nothing more. I thought it might help if she could see what happened on Wolf Pack Island; the last month she was there, that was. Me and Luna decided to give it a try, so I got Dolphin to help me extracting your memory and weaved it into her dreams."

Xelloss cocked an eyebrow in annoyance but refrained from any bitter comments.

"Yes, that's why Zellas invited me over and made you my drinking companion." Phibrizo said in all cheerfulness, "So Dolphin could get you in your sleep!"

"You can pretty much figure out the rest." Lina, who had arrived at the start of the explanation, said as she walked over to join her husband.

Surrounded by 'enemies', Xelloss decided to ignore them for now and focused on the woman in his arms. "I miss you, Filia. I'm sorry you had to go through the pain and lose everything from before the re-seal."

Filia shook her head and looked at him tenderly. "I never regretted it. After all, I was able to meet you and be with you."

Words could not describe how Xelloss was feeling. During Filia's stay on Wolf Pack Island, even though they had gotten close, neither said anything even remotely romantic to each other. Knowing how shy and modest she was, this was probably the closest thing to a confession she could say. Xelloss returned with a loving smile and tightened his embrace.

Some people, however, knew just how to ruin a good moment.

"One bottle of Zephilian wine says that he's going to propose."

"That's not fair, Luna! I was going to bet on that!"

"Now, now. How about we change the bet to where their wedding will be held?"

"Good idea, Phibrizo." The Beastmaster chimed. "Wolf Pack Island, three bottles."

"Our place, one case." Valgarv chipped in.

"Nowhere, one case and a lobster dinner." Phibrizo said and shrugged when the others eyed him strangely. "You never know."

Luna and Lina exchanged a look, and then both nodded in silent agreement.

"One case of Zephilian wine, three lobster cuisine, three lamb cuisine, twelve trays of fruit pies, three cases of snacks, and a whole wedding feast!" The short red head named her price.

Everyone sweat dropped. Valgarv realised suddenly, "Don't tell me-"

"That's right!" Lina declared triumphantly, "Gourry, tell them where the wedding will be!"

"Oh, that's simple." The blond swordsman said happily like an unsuspecting child. "Here in Zephilia, of course! We, her family, are all here, after all!"

"Xelloss?" Zellas glared at her son.

The Beast Priest gave her a nervous laugh before turning to look at his wife-to-be. "Sorry, mother. I'll do anything to make Filia happy, so it's going to be here."

"HA! Too bad for you people!" Lina whooped while the losing contestants looked aghast at the price they would have to pay.

"Not so fast!" Zellas, not one to admit defeat easily, recovered and proposed immediately. "There is still the matter of their future residence! It must be Wolf Pack Island this time for sure!"

While their in-laws were arguing about where they would live, Xelloss took the chance to do some catching up. He pressed Filia closer to him and sighed into her golden hair contently.

"I am so glad to see you again, Filia. I miss you so much." Xelloss pulled away only far enough for him to be able to gaze into her deep pool of sapphires. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I promise never to leave your side again."

"Even when I get Ragu Mazaedis as a wedding gift from Luna?" Filia teased.

"She's giving you what?" Xelloss face faulted for a moment, but the sincere and gentle look quickly returned on his face. "Yes, I am not leaving you even when you have Ragu Mazaedis as a wedding gift from Luna. You are my soul, Filia, and I cannot live without my soul."

Filia smiled tenderly at his endearing words. With a lovely blush on her cheek, she closed the distance between them and kissed her intimate stranger. "Welcome back, Xelloss."

_fin_

* * *

Author's Note:  
Is that just too much sap or what? I may not be good at writing it, but I can't help it when I'm a sucker for fluff. XD 

This epilogue is actually version #3. It took me a long time to decide on the method of reunion for the two, and I had to scratch out two other ideas. I even contemplated writing out all of them but thought better of it. This story meant a lot to me as it's one of the few completed out of so many (many, many, many...) that I started. Hope you guys enjoyed the story as much as I did writing it. :)


End file.
